Arab League labels Hezbollah a 'terrorist' group

The move, which was not backed by Lebanon and Iraq, comes after the Gulf Cooperation Council adopted the same stance.

Hezbollah leader Nasrallah has accused Saudi Arabia of pressuring Lebanon to silence his group [Yahya Arhab/EPA]

The Arab League has declared Lebanese movement Hezbollah a "terrorist" group, only days after the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) adopted the same stance.

The move came during an Arab League foreign ministers' meeting at the organisation's headquarters in Egypt's capital Cairo on Friday.

Nearly all 22 Arab League members supported the decision, except Lebanon and Iraq which expressed "reservations", the bloc said in a statement read out at a news conference by Bahraini diplomat Wahid Mubarak Sayar.

"The resolution of the League's council [of foreign ministers] includes the designation of Hezbollah as a terrorist group," the statement said.

Hezbollah, a Shia political organisation with an armed wing, fights in neighbouring Syria to support the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

Explaining Lebanon's position, Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil said in a Twitter message: "We voiced reservations because the resolution was not in line with the Arab anti-terror treaty ... Hezbollah enjoys wide representation in Lebanon and it is a main component in the country."